DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF A SOLAR POWERED STREETLIGHT SYSTEM

Illumination is one of the factors for determining the development level of any community. Due to the erratic nature of power in the Nigeria, an alternative, reliable and efficient source of power must be looked into. The alternative source must also be able to save power. This informed the idea behind this project. The solution herein proposed is solar powered street light with automatic switching. The system will include the solar panels, charge controllers/switching unit, inverter, battery bank and the luminaires. This system will function by turning the luminaires on at night and turning off the luminaires at dawn automatically while charging takes place when the luminaires are off. The combination of these units will result in well-lit roads using a reliable and efficient power source. The system being tested has been confirmed to be very reliable and efficient as a solar panel can be used for an average of 25 years.